Yale ASC

Yale Alumni Schools Committee

The Alumni Schools Committee (ASC) conducts interviews with local high school students applying for admission to Yale. Every year many local high school students apply to Yale. Our goal is to ensure that every one of those students has an opportunity to have an interview with a member of the ASC. The Rochester ASC Directors coordinate the process of assigning local alumni to the various applicants from around the Rochester area.

In the fall, members of the Admissions Office staff visit the Rochester area and give a presentation to provide information for prospective applicants. While they are here, they have the opportunity to meet with ASC members to answer questions about the admissions process and how the interview plays a vital role in supporting the needs of the Admissions team in New Haven. The ASC directors receive a list of high school students applying to Yale and assigns a member of the ASC to conduct each interview. The bulk of the interviews take place in November (for Early Action applicants) and through mid-February (for regular decision applicants). The interviewer contacts the student directly to arrange the interview. Most interviewers conduct the interview at neutral locations convenient for the interviewer and the applicant. Most interviewers conduct no more than two interviews each year but more can be assigned if desired!

The purpose of the interview is:

To provide the applicant an opportunity to ask questions about Yale

To personalize Yale and the admissions process

To give the Admissions Committee a personal perspective on the applicant that they cannot get from the materials in the application

Interviews generally last about between 45 minutes to an hour and follow no set format. All interviews should, of course, permit the applicant to ask whatever questions he or she may have about Yale. Immediately following the interview, the interviewer writes a summary of his or her impressions of the applicant and sends it to the Admissions Office. The interview report becomes a part of the admissions file. While less important in the admissions decision than grades, test scores, and school recommendations, an interview report is a significant part of an applicant’s file and gives the Admissions Committee a wholly different perspective on the applicant.